In what is, most likely, some sort of stunt leading up to a new release, Radiohead has completely disappeared from the internet.

It’s easy to take down a site, and Radiohead’s has gone blank, but it’s much harder to take it to the next level which the band has also done. All of their Tweets and Facebook postings are also gone as is Thom Yorke’s Twitter account.

The band has not released a new album in five years with their last being 2011’s The King of Limbs; however, it has been rumored a new album is coming soon.

Adding to the mystery is a flyer that was received by a number of U.K.-based fans of the band in Saturday’s mail.

Those receiving the flyer had previously purchased merchandise through the band’s website.

The date for the new album is unknown although a rep had previously said it would be out in June.

The band has announced a series of dates around the world for May through October:

Radiohead’s comeback single “Burn the Witch”
…has been hailed by critics as an emphatic return from the English rockers after a four-year absence.

Unveiled Tuesday, the song and its accompanying music video pay homage to the stop-motion 1960s British children’s shows Trumpton and Camberwick Green, as well as 1973 movie The Wicker Man. The song/video were released following a viral campaign that saw the group erase its Internet presence—only to emerge heroically and gift loyal fans with new music.

It is now available to download from iTunes while their ninth album, rumoured to be titled Dawn Chorus, is expected imminently

Any thoughts about the new single? (which is not totally new, since it’s taken from materials first produced ten years ago or so, if I’m not mistaken)
I like the song, but I’m slightly disappointed. Maybe, as an article I read pointed out, because they have created such an atmosphere full of expectations about the release of the new album (I recall the word “revolutionary” has been used to define it); but this single sounds to my ears of the same artistic style of The king of limbs. Which was actually a very good product, but not “revolutionary”.
Ah, the times of Kid A seem far behind……

Thank you for the article! I agree, when i first listened to Burn th witch i immediately thought at Greenwood’s There Will Be Blood score. Which in my opinion is one of the greatest scores of all time.
Now that you point out yes, there’s something of In rainbows too. But I still consider this new song closer to The king of limbs, since it totally lacks that gentle and soft touch which characterized In rainbows. But that’s just my opinion : ))

Here’s the second song. Beautiful. And very In rainbows-style, uff: you were right 😀
I totally love the video (thank you, Paul Thomas Anderson) and my expectations for the album, which is coming out on sunday, have suddenly increased again.

PTA is one of my favorite people and I worship Radiohead, so you have no idea how I’m feeling lol this track is even better than Burn the Witch, which I had already love. Honestly even if the rest of the album isn’t as good as these two, it will still better than almost everything that has come out this year. Two more days!

I’ve just finished it. It’s gorgeous. It’s not a masterpiece. There are extraordinary moments and a constant high quality. I’ll listen to it again in the next days since I’m sure it has plenty to offer, listening after listening, like (almost) every other Radiohead album.

I’ve just finished it. It’s gorgeous. It’s not a masterpiece. There are extraordinary moments and a constant high quality. I’ll listen to it again in the next days since I’m sure it has plenty to offer, listening after listening, like (almost) every other Radiohead album.

Definitely a masterpiece imho. The genius of Jonny Greenwood has never been clearer than on this record.

I’ve just finished it. It’s gorgeous. It’s not a masterpiece. There are extraordinary moments and a constant high quality. I’ll listen to it again in the next days since I’m sure it has plenty to offer, listening after listening, like (almost) every other Radiohead album.

Definitely a masterpiece imho. The genius of Jonny Greenwood has never been clearer than on this record.

I love the fact that are monopolising this discussion, lol. Actually, after what i wrote above, i read many posts and articles about how the album gets better listening after listening. I’ll certainly do so. A masterpiece, really? I don’t know, at times I had the impression I was listening to something like In rainbows but less extraordinary…

I’ve just finished it. It’s gorgeous. It’s not a masterpiece. There are extraordinary moments and a constant high quality. I’ll listen to it again in the next days since I’m sure it has plenty to offer, listening after listening, like (almost) every other Radiohead album.

Definitely a masterpiece imho. The genius of Jonny Greenwood has never been clearer than on this record.

I love the fact that are monopolising this discussion, lol. Actually, after what i wrote above, i read many posts and articles about how the album gets better listening after listening. I’ll certainly do so. A masterpiece, really? I don’t know, at times I had the impression I was listening to something like In rainbows but less extraordinary…

I don’t think the people of this forum give a **** about Radiohead, which is why we’re the only two talking about it lol. Yes I do think it’s a masterpiece. I’ve also been reading reviews and comments online, and the funniest thing is that most of the time people recognize how extraordinary the album is, but say “the only track I wasn’t feeling was…” and I respond to that by thinking “but that’s one of my favorites!” LOL. I’ve been repeating these songs almost non-stop and they keep getting better. We’ve experienced quite a week with two great albums coming out (James Blake’s and Anohni’s) that will probably rightfully be on many people’s best-of-the-year lists in December, but then Radiohead comes along with something that is so many degrees above those two other albums, and yet you get a sense that they weren’t trying hard or trying to prove anything, it’s almost natural. Look at Identikit, at the two-minute mark, and tell me that’s not some supernatural sound. I can’t think of any other band or artist that could come up with material this compelling. I wonder if you liked this less than In Rainbows because it’s more of a downer, and slightly less accessible (although calling IR “accessible” is inaccurate lol).

Having said that, you’re gonna get a score on Metacritic probably between 78 and 85, because 1) the band has detractors and 2) you can’t really fully comprehend and review professionally this within a one or two-day period. I look at the In Rainbows reviews now and it’s quite pathetic how some of the critics couldn’t understand what was in front of them. And most of them might have the same reaction you did “I like it a lot, it’s brilliant, but I can’t give it 5 out of 5 if I think In Rainbows or Kid A is better” so they settle for 4 out of 5. But Beyonce comes out with a fairly good-to-great album and gets a bunch of perfect scores because they think that’s as good as Beyonce is ever gonna be.